Undermanned but prepared, Cavs kick off season Wednesday

Tuesday

Oct 30, 2007 at 12:01 AMOct 30, 2007 at 6:51 AM

Four months after a surprising run to the NBA Finals, nothing has changed and everything has changed for the Cavaliers. They are the reigning Eastern Conference champions, but respect is not coming their way, not that they seem too concerned.

Chris Beaven

Grab most preseason basketball magazines, and the Cavaliers are picked for third — in the Central Division.

Most NBA experts view the Cavaliers as an afterthought as a title contender. Charles Barkley even suggested Monday they might not make the playoffs.

Four months after a surprising run to the NBA Finals, nothing has changed and everything has changed for the Cavaliers. They are the reigning Eastern Conference champions, but respect is not coming their way, not that they seem too concerned.

“The Cavs have always been overlooked, especially since I got here,” All-Star forward LeBron James said. “That’s nothing new coming into a season for us.”

So what kind of encore can be expected to the franchise’s finest season? Give it some time seems to be the best advice.

Even Head Coach Mike Brown joked that he wouldn’t mind another two weeks of camp to sort things out.

But ready or not, the Cavs start the season Wednesday night at 8 when Dallas visits Quicken Loans Arena.

“I think guys have mentally prepared themselves to go out there, even though we might be a little undermanned,” James said.

Without restricted free agents Sasha Pavlovic and Anderson Varejao, the Cavaliers definitely have holes in their rotation. The holes became bigger with veteran point guard Eric Snow recovering from knee surgery earlier in the month.

Forward Drew Gooden said it’s tough not knowing if or when Pavlovic or Varejao may work out their contract situations.

“But at the same time, we have to work with the pieces we have,” Gooden said.

“With those guys gone, one man can’t pick it up,” center Zydrunas Ilgauskas said. “We have to do it collectively.”

Plenty will be expected of James, who delivers it all on a nightly basis.

“Having him gives us a chance to win every night,” Ilgauskas said. “But he knows and we know he won’t be able to do it by himself. He needs help offensively and defensively. ... Everybody is going to be held accountable.”

Gooden, Ilgauskas and guard Larry Hughes join James as the four full-time starters back from last season. Snow or Pavlovic got the majority of the starts at the other guard spot last season.

Second-year point guard Daniel Gibson should fill that spot Wednesday. He showed promise as a rookie, especially in the playoffs. But much more will be expected of him.

The rest of the rotation, at least early on, will include forward Donyell Marshall, forward-center Dwayne Jones, forward Ira Newble and guards Damon Jones, Shannon Brown and Devin Brown. Only Marshall saw extensive action with the team last season.

The Cavs went 1-6 in the preseason, not that it indicates anything. They went 2-6 last preseason before winning 50 games and reaching the finals.

“It’s the preseason, that’s over and done with,” James said.

Still, their second unit packs little punch. And collectively, they struggled on offense and their defense — the backbone of their success last year — also broke down in various areas.

Mike Brown has spent a lot of time trying to revamp Cleveland’s offense, get more dribble-penetration and movement. “But my guys still have to understand we’re going to win games defensively,” he said.

Defense carried the Cavs a long way last year, along with team rebounding and the individual offensive brilliance of James. Will it be enough for a show-stopping encore in 2007-08?

James thinks so.

“We know it’s going to be tough this year ... but I think we’re ready for the challenge.”